Relic
by Oberon
Summary: Ranma is revived by Tsunade after being frozen in ice for untold eons.  What secret does the martial artist hold that even Orochimaru wants to know?
1. Teaser

The day drew to an end, the sun sat over the horizon, its ultraviolet light passed through the clouds and inspiring images of blood and gore up in the heavens. It's going to be hot tomorrow. While the battle raged in heaven, on earth, near the boarder between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rock, a group of ninja set camp after a long day of pursuit and slaughter.

The ninja, three in all, gathered wood from the forest in which they traveled. Igniting the fire was the job of a spiky-haired blond. A strip of metal with an leaf symbol etching covered the blond's forehead, marking him as a Konoha-nin. The spiky-haired blond lit the fire with a box of matches that he brought in his field kit. Quickly, he blew into the amber sparks to get a flame going.

To the blond's left, a second ninja prepped the evening's meal. Clad in black with a padded jacket over her bosom, she was also a ninja from Konoha but she wore her forehead protector like a hairpiece. She couldn't help but grin whenever she caught the nin to her left looking at her long luscious orange hair. This attention flattered the Konoha-kunochi who had prided herself on her appearances. As for the evening's meal, nothing more than dried meats and canned vegetables, everything made for ninja on the go. The kunochi passed the beef jerky around to her companions then took a bite from a piece of flavorless meat. The day's combat exhausted her and it would do no good if she could not keep her energy up because of some fad diet she been on since the beginning of their mission. Although the end of the mission was near, there existed the possibility of a counterattack by Iwa-nins. Especially if what they had taken from the Iwa-nin were as important as the Hokage had said.

The last ninja of the group was a nerdy looking ninja in glasses. Only the large and thick glasses that adorned his head distinguished this ninja from generic cannon fodder. While the others set camp, this ninja studied the curiosity they had liberated from the Iwa-nin. The 4-eyed konoha-nin tilted the curiosity - a bowl of gold, tarnished by years of staining, so heavy that it took two ninja to carry - on its end and found an inscription on the bottom.

"_Quench my thirst and I will answer all thy questions._"

"Hay, let me see that." The blond rushed to the side of the 4-eyed ninja.

"No way Arashi, I saw it first." The 4-eyed ninja quickly tilted the bowl back so the blond couldn't read what was on the bottom.

Arashi pinched the 4-eyed nin by the ear and pulled. "I'm team leader so you do as I say. Got that, Pensuke?"

"Ouh, Ouh." The 4-eyed ninja tried to slap Arashi's hand away but finally gave in. "You're so mean, Arashi." Pensuke whimpered with tears running down his glasses then he ran out of reach.

The future 4th Hokage examined the etching on the bottom of the bow. The sun had set, the only light came from the fire that he had lit and the words were barely visible for an unsteady hand carved them. "_Quench my thirst…_ does anyone got any water?"

The Kunochi shrugged. "I'm out," she said while she shocked her canteen.

Arashi looked to Pensuke who went off to one side to sulk. "Pensuke?"

"Don't talk to me," said the 4-eyed nin said with his back to the rest of the team.

Arashi rolled his eye. "Fine, if you give me your water I'll let you ask the first question."

"All right!" Pensuke dashed back and before the dust even settled, he had his canteen out and uncapped. He poured in the water expecting to see a reaction but there was nothing.

"I think you got to ask a question first," the female ninja suggested.

"Ok, I know." Pensuke stared into the water and thought whatever going happen would be in the water. "What's the quickest way to Naomi's heart?" The 4-eye ninja blushed; the kunoichi was standing right next to him.

No words, no light show, only a blooming voice answered back. A voice that resonate in the air the ninja breathed. "_A very sharp knife"_

"Wha the… what's that suppose to mean?" Pensuke blurted aloud.

"_You take a knife and open her chest_" said the voice again.

Arashi fell over and started to laugh uncontrollably. "Oh I get it. The shortest way to her heart. Bwuahahahahaha." Arashi decided to stop once Naomi planted her boot into his face and started to stomp, hard.

"All right, my turn." Naomi shoved Pensuke aside then took her place by the water bowl. "What's the secret to long life and everlasting youth?" She asked the water.

"_Clean living and eat lots of vegetables_"

Arashi started to howl again. "I think it just called you a tramp, Naomi."

The kunochi glared at the offending bowl angrily. "Why you…" she kicked it, splashing water on Arashi who was still rolling on the ground.

Now it was Arashi's turn. The spiky-blond grinned. "Ok, I got a question. What color panties are Naomi wearing?"

"_Black… and it's a thong_"

The force of Pensuke's noise bleed sent the 4-eyed nin reeling but he wasn't the only male nin loosing blood.

"ARASHI, YOU PERV!" Naomi introduced the future 4th Hokage's face to her fists and she did not stop just because the spiky-blond's face became bloody and mangled. She stopped after awhile but only because of fatigue, the fact that Arashi stopped moving had nothing to do with it. Still, she gave the spiky-blond one last kick to the groan to make sure he still lived. The blood-curling scream of pain made the Kunochi felt all better. "That'll teach you."

"Yes… ma'am…" the future Yondaime squeaked. His face looked blue and he could barely get the words out.

Sometime later, when they got over the novelty of the bowl, and everyone is asleep, Arashi went to the bowl and poured water into it.

"All right bowl," he said softly so he wouldn't disturb his companions. "I got this technique I been trying to develop. How come I can't mold the energy like normal Chakra?"

"_The power you seek cannot be wielded by mortal hands…"_

Arashi was just about to ask why when the Bowl spoke again.

"…_Except by one man, Ranma Saotome." _

Arashi was instantly curious. "Who is Ranma Saotome and what made him so special?"

"_In ages passed, when Ranma Saotome defeated the Covenant of the Four, the gods trembled for a mortal had surpassed even the gods themselves. Out of fear, the gods banded together to prevent any mortals from ever growing into to such power ever again. Since that time, no mortal born would be able to use spiritual energy in its purest form. However, in their haste, the gods made a grave error. By changing the way the universe worked, the very nature of spiritual energy was changed. In this current time and place, Spiritual Energy in its purest form is a devastating force that no amount of might can stand against. Only one man can wield this force in this age, for Ranma Saotome still lives."_


	2. Chapter 1

Relic

By Oberon

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I don't own Ranma. Naruto is the property of Jump Comics, Viz Media and that Uchiha loving bastard whom shall remained unnamed. Ranma is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Shogakukan publishing. All usage of characters in this story is without permission.

Chapter 1: A promise to keep, 15 years in the making!

  


The brat thought he could hide it from him. The upstart thought he could keep something like this a secret. The little punk was wrong. He couldn't fool Orochimaru, of the legendary three, so easily.

The snake sannin grinned evilly before he plunged the syringe into jugular of the helpless Jonin before him. The man's primal howl of pain only served to further Orochimaru's excitement.

"But I told you everything!" The man screamed out his last coherent thoughts before every nerve in his body exploded. Even the most loyal and devoted soldier can be broken; it is only a matter of time and effort.

Orochimaru did not deign to answer the subject of his experiment. Besides, the snake sannin doubted the thrashing konoha Jonin still possessed the mental capacity to appreciate his answer.

  
  


The Konoho-nin outside the Hokage tower snapped to attention when Orochimaru approached. "Orochimaru-sama, I wasn't told you'll be coming today." Nonetheless, the nin opened the way for Orochimaru.

The pale sannin's face cracked into a fake smile. "That's all right; the Yondaime didn't know I would pay him a visit today."

"Please, wait at the lobby. The Yondaime is in conference with the village counsel." Orochimaru could tell the guard was nervous.

"Oh, thank you for informing me. And since you're going such a good job, I'll be sure to put in a good word for you with the Hokage." The pale sannin kept up his smile but deep down he hated coming here. He should be the one in this office, not Kazama Arashi.

"Yea… yes sir! Sir!" the guard saluted then closed the door behind the sannin.

  
  


About an hour later, the Yondaime came by the guard post on his way out for the daily stroll through the village. The Yondaime tipped his kage hat to the guard with a silent knob of his head.

"Hokage-sama… have-have you spoke with Orochimaru-sama?"

"Not recently," The Yondaime replied, suddenly curious about Orochimaru. The sannin was not what the Yondaime called a _people person_. Intensely private, the pale sannin usually kept to himself and rarely spoke with anyone. The former Hokage and Jiraiya, are the only exception. Even then, those conversations were far and in between as far as the Yondaime knew. So why would the guard think he would have spoken to Orochimaru? "Did Orochimaru came by recently?" The Hokage inquired.

The guard had an expression of shock on his face. "You mean you didn't see him outside your office, Hokage-sama?" The guard suddenly realized he might have let an unknown into the Hokage's office, a spy from another village posing as Orochimaru-sama. He swallowed involuntary, so much for that promotion.

The Yondaime stopped in his tracks. "Call the ANBU," he ordered while running back into the tower. "If there is a spy, he is still here."

  
  


Somewhere, in the Hokage tower, Orochimaru found the golden bowl the Yondaime took from the Iwa-nin some years earlier. The Yondaime had put a coat of black paint on it to make it less attractive.

"_Quench my thirst and I will answer all thy questions…._" The snake man grinned then filled the bowl with a bottle he brought. "Tell me of how to obtain my heart's desire," Orochimaru whispered to the bowl like a lover. "How do I live eternal?"

Orochimaru suddenly reeled as a booming voice filled the tiny broom closet where the Yondaime had hid the fortune-telling bowl. For a moment, Orochimaru feared the thin walls of the Hokage tower would give away his location. Then he froze as the booming voice told him what he had feared all along. "_Impossible, immortality cannot be achieved by mortals. All things born must die, that is the way of the universe._"

For the first time in many years, the snake sannin felt his knees give out from under him. He slumped back, leaning against the back of the broom closet, sliding down even as a foul depressing mood washed over him. Orochimaru sat silently on the floor of the broom closet for the longest time, and then just as sudden as a cobra's bite, the snake sannin uncoiled and smashed his fist against the infernal bowl that had crushed his dream. The object of Orochimaru's hatred proved too tough for even a sannin's wrath.

Then it suddenly occurred to Orochumaru that he had asked the wrong question. Instead of asking for true immortality, he should have asked for more time. "It seems I have asked the impossible. But now, tell me, is there a way to halt indefinitely the degradation of my body from age?"

"_Whatever lives must eventually die, but… there is one exception to this rule._" The voice of the prophet paused, possibly to give itself a good chuckle on some far-off astral plane or perhaps it simply understood the importance of a good dramatic pause.

Orochimaru grew impatient. "Yes, yes, what is it?"

"_A longtime ago, in ages long passed, a mortal named Ranma Saotome achieved by accident that which your heart desires._"

"You mean this Ranma is still alive? Where is he?" Orochimaru demanded. If someone had found a way to live forever then the snake sannin must have his body. He must find the secret hidden in this Ranma's body.

"_Ranma Saotome still lives but the gods had hidden him away so even one such as I cannot find him._"

For the second time that day Orochimaru lost his cool but this time, he knew better than to take out his frustration on this accursed bowl. The sannin smashed against the broom closet wall with all his might and punched deep into the plaster.

  
  


Later that day, a knock on Orochimaru's front door drew the sannin's attention. When he opened the door, the snake man found the Yondaime-brate and his ANBU outside.

"Yondaime-sama, so nice of you to visit." The pale man grinned at the Yondaime's sudden but expected appearance. Orochimaru purposely let a tinge of sarcasm slip when he greeted the young Hokage. It was no secret that Orochimaru still resented the Yondaime for taking something what the sannin thought rightfully belonged to him.

"Orochimaru-san, you're as pleasant as ever." The Yondaime shot back. "But still, it is good to see that you are all right. We were worried for a second that a spy might have killed you then taken your appearance to infiltrate the Hokage tower."

Orochimaru kept up his fake smile. "Well, as you can see, I'm perfectly myself. But if you still have doubts, I'm willing to let a few of your man test my abilities. I'm sure this spy wouldn't be able to duplicate some of my unique techniques."

The Yondaime knew of course that this is the real Orochimaru the second the laid eyes on the paleface man. The man that answered the door gave off the same 'creepy' vibe and uncomfortable chakra that only the real Orochimaru would possess. "That wouldn't be necessary," the Yondaime tipped his hat to the sannin. "Sorry to have disturbed you."

Orochimaru saw the Yondaime turned to leave. "That's quite all right, but thank you for caring so much about your follow Konoha-nin's safety." Then Orochimaru closed the door on the Yondaime's face when the man turned to face him.

  
  


Orochimaru watched from his window as the Yondaime and his ANBU disappear in a large cloud of ninja smoke. He grinned, the last words of the fortune-telling bowl still fresh in his mind.

"_Ranma Saotome will be in this exact room 15 years from now…_"

Fifth-teen years, but Orochimaru was patient. He will possess the secret of immortality. He had promised his dead parents and even sworn to them at their graves. He will bid his time in Konoha for 15 years wasn't such a long wait, even if he has to spend it in the hateful village that scorned him.

A year later, the former Hokage found out about his former student's experiments with Konoha-nin, forcing Orochimaru to flee from Konoha.


	3. Chapter 2

Relic

By Oberon

Chapter 2: The Father

  
  


An old man looked to the sky for answers only to find the clouds turning dark, blocking the setting sun. The old man exhaled a puff of smoke from his pike, metaphorically allowing the apprehension to leave him. No good; the young around him did not realize it but just a few miles away the village ninja are fighting for their existence and existence of everyone in this village. He would have to worry for them. The old man, the former Sandaime of Konoha, knew things had not gone well, the great 9-tailed fox had engaged the final line of defenses between it and Konoha.

"Look, look! I made a castle." The children's voice called to the former Hokage in all their childhood bliss. The former Sandaime smiled at the future of Konoha, or as he like to call them, the King.

"Children, it's time to go home. A storm is coming."

  
  


Some several miles away from Konoha and the carnage in the forest, an old guy with long spiky-white hair had spend most of the afternoon peeping into a tiny hole in the side of a bath house. The old man had a grin on his face the whole time and for some reason no one had noticed him.

"Oh yeah, that's good. Hmmm… got to write that down, it'll be great for the next volume." The creepy man would often mutter these words, not too loudly of course. He didn't want to scare away the ladies in the bathhouse.

Then the sky rumbled and in a matter of a few minutes, the clouds darkened.

"Gota run girls, looks like it's going to rain," said a hot brunet with a puppy shaped birthmark in her inner thigh. _I like it!_ _That's so going into the next book_, the man thought. _It's so cute! _The man smiled approvingly at the birthmark. The girl ran to the dressing area in a hurry and not too soon, the other girls followed suit.

The man outside sighed, "Just getting to the good part." A few minutes later he saw the girls in the bathhouse rush home before the storm hits. Oh the roof, the creepy man looked to the sky just as the first drop of rain hit his forehead followed by several feminine screams in the distance. "I wonder how Arashi is doing."

  
  


The storm finally hit Konoha with full force around midnight. A figure cloaked in shadows watched as ninja rushed to the Sandaime's door. A sudden flash of thunder revealed the figures eyes. In that instant, his eyes appeared in the storm as twin sinister orbs of varying shades of gray and black circles. The high collar of his black cloak hid the remainder of his face. The figure watched as the Konoha-nin bang on the Sandaime's door then an old man answered.

Despite the splashing rain and the rolling thunder, the man in the storm could make out what the ninja said to the old man. "The Yondaime had fallen… in this crisis the village council has reinstated your position as Hokage…"

"…Stay here," the old man ran back into his house only to reemerge a few minutes later in his black shinobi battle gear.

The shadowy figure watching from his place on the rooftops saw the old man and the ninja ran off into the distance. One second the cloaked figure stood in the storm, the next, he was gone in the microseconds that a bolt of lightning took to split a tree in the Sandaime's backyard.

_Quench my thirst and I will answer all thy questions…_

The faded words were barely legible under a heavy coat of black paint but the meaning was clear. The figure in the shadows dripped water all over the 3rd's carpet simply drained some of that rainwater from his cloak into a black dull-looking bowl on the Sandaime's desk. Both the Yondaime and the Sandaime thought themselves so cleaver hiding such valuable object in plane sight.

"I have quenched your thirst, now answer my question. How do I command the power of the Bijuus?" The man's voice sound distorted, almost if his words were coming through a radio.

At once a booming voice echoed off the very walls. "_Fear. Fear of death._"

The man weighted the answer in his mind. It made sense; even the great Bijuus could die. "Next question. Can the Bijuus really die by destroying the container?"

"_The great beasts cannot die until that time when the gates are opened…_"

Could it be? The image of a set of titanic iron gates flashed in the man's mind. It stood easily five stories tall.

"Tell me!" The crackled voice demanded with a mixture of both excitement and impatience. "What is the relationship between the Bijuus and the gate?" The figure asked, eager to know the answer.

"_The nine great beasts are the nine keys to the gate. Sacrifice all nine beasts to the Gatekeeper and the gates will open._"

"The Gatekeeper…" However, just before the figure could ask about the Gatekeeper he felt someone walking in the hallway.

The thunder outside rumbled once more as the storm gathered strength.

The door to the study creaked open.

"Sarutobi-sama, is that you?" When Sarutobi's longtime housekeeper entered the study, all she found was an opened window and rain blowing into the room.

And a voice whispered in the wind.

_Ranma Saotome…_

  
  


"Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen!"

The dealer shouted one last time to make sure everyone had their bets on the table. He received a nod from the pit boss that signaled him to open the bamboo cup that he had kept his hand on.

"Even!"

Tsunade groaned and watched as the dealer whisked away more of her chips. She instinctively reached for her stash of chips but found that she went through them all. Tsunade searched the room, her eyes met with a trough looking man by the corner, just standing there and not gambling. She walked up to the man. "I need more money." She demanded with her outstretched hand.

The man frowned at the woman; he had already told her 20minutes ago the last loan would be the last. "Lady, I can't float you anymore dough. Pay back some of what you owe us and then we can talk."

"Now, now, Ichiru, an unlucky customer is a good customer."

The man, Ichiru the lone shark, looked nervously at the man standing behind Tsunade. "But boss, she's the Legendary…"

"Show some respect!" The other man shouted to Ichiru. "This is the Lady Tsunade." He glared at the lone shark then smiled as Tsunade turned to meet his eye. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Genma, the owner of this establishment."

Tsunade didn't care for the fat man in the clean suite. He looked entirely too greasy and that was just the few stray strand of hair still on his baldhead. "So, are you going to loan me more money or what?" Tsunade asked the casino owner.

The suite kept up his smile. "I have an even better idea."

"Oh?"

Genma reached into his suite and pulled out a sheet of paper on one hand and the other hand went to his pocket. "See this? This here is your debt to me…" His other hand fished out a single gold chip. "…And this is a ten-thousand-yen chip. I would like to make a little wager with you, Lady Tsunade. I'll give you this chip and you can use it to place one bet, and one bet only, on the next turn. If you win, you keep the winnings and I'll square your debt with me. But if you lose, you have to do me a little favor."

Tsunade smirked. "And just what kind of favor are we talking about?"

"Nothing much, all I want is for you to use your legendary healing skills on an associate of mine. He's my wife's brother you see. The fool got himself caught in the middle of a ninja battle and well… he might be an idiot but he's still family."

Tsunade didn't buy the man's explanation. It didn't bother her though. "Fine, give me the chip." They didn't call her the Legendary Sucker for nothing. Besides, she could just have Shizune heal the guy later.

"I would wish you good luck but it's my brother-in-law's life we're talking about here." Genma's grin came off as entirely too minor villainy.

Tsunade took back her place at the tatami mat then slapped down her chip. "EVEN!" She shouted.

The dealer opened the bamboo cup. One dice was on five, the other…

"ODD!"

Ganma smiled while getting between Tsunade and the door. "This way, Lady Tsunade."

Genma led Tsunade to the back of the casino where there was a hidden stairway going to the upper floors. They reached the third floor of the casino where Genma had two goons guarding the stairway. They went pass the guards and arrive at a heavyset steel door with various thick winter clothing hanging on racks around the area. Genma put on one of the heavy jackets. "I suggest you do the same," he zipped up and fluffed the collar up. "It could get cold in there."

Tsunade wondered what kind of injury a person might suffer to need a cold room. Genma pushed open the heavy steel doors and a blast of cold air blew across his face and Tsunade's hair. Tsunade followed the fat man in.

In the middle of the meat locker was a large block of ice. Most of the ice block's surface had been cover in frost but there was still enough transparency to see something in there. A shadow in the shape of a man.

"What's going on here?" Tsunade demanded.

Hot fog escaped Genma's mouth. "As you can see, it was no ordinary ninja that hurt my brother-in-law. I have hired medic-nin from all the major hidden villages, but none of them are able to safe him. They say if the ice melts then he's a goner for sure. The only thing I could do was to keep him in here. You are my lost hope, Lady Tsunade."

"He's still alive?" Tsunade gasped, even the sturdiest of ninja couldn't survive like this.

"See for yourself."

Tsunade placed her hand on the ice then immediately pulled back. The ice pulled at her chakra, trying to rip it from her from the point of contact. Tsunade did not move fast enough as she lost a good chunk of Chakra to the ice. Still, in that brief moment of contract, she could feel a strong life forced trapped inside. _That's why this guy is still alive. The ice is somehow draining Chakra from all around to keep him going._

"Tell me exactly what happened."

"I don't know exactly, my men found him like this and nearby were the body of two shinobi, one from Mizu and the other from Suna. Unfortunately, their villages came to collect their bodies. When I told them about my brother-in-law they didn't seemed to care what happened to him all that much."

Tsunade sighed. "I'm sorry, I can't help you. You might have better luck with someone from the Mizu though. This seems to be like one of their jutsu gone wrong. If you leave him to me he'll probably die."

To Tsunade's surprise the man suddenly knelt before her, his knees on the frozen and frost covered floor. "Please, Lady Tsunade. I have already tried the Mizu, even their medic-nin doesn't know what's happened to him. You have to help me, if you don't my wife would never let me touch her again!" Genma planted his hands on the floor like a crouching tiger.

Tsuande didn't know what to say. "I'm-I'm sorry… I just can't do this…." Tsunade bolted for the door. "I'm sorry…." She had to get out of here, that's all she knew. She doesn't know what she'll do if she failed to safe anther life, better not even to try.

Genma grabbed her by the ankle as she tried to run out. "I beg you, please, help him. He's not my brother-in-law, he's my son! I'm sorry I lied to you but I was worried you might drive a hard bargain."

Tsunade dragged the grieving man a few feet cross the ice then stopped. She looked down on him and saw tears frozen in his cheeks.

Tsunade closed her eyes and breathed the icy cold air deeply. "Fine, I'll see what I can do. But I can't promise he'll make it through this."

The graveling casino owner hugged Tsunade's long legs in gratitude. "Oh, thank you, thank you."

"It might make me a few weeks to figure out how to do this but meanwhile you'll pay for all my expanses." Tsuande grinned, _Yosh, guilt free gambling!_ "…And I mean ALL my expanses." She especially stressed the 'all' part.

"Anything you want! Anything you want!"

  
  


Two months later, Tsunade left the boy to his father's care. Tsunade herself, walked away more shaken then before she came in. Despite everything she did, the boy lived. It was pure luck on Tsunade's part and a testament to the boy's will to live that he is still here and free of the ice. Tsunade had made mistakes that nearly killed the boy twice during the operation, mistakes that she rather soon forget. One thing for sure, Tsunade wouldn't try this again for a very longtime.

  
  


Genma watched over the boy as he slept and wondered where he came from. The boy dressed strangely, his top made from red silk was not something just regular people can afford. Silk was a highly prized commodity that only came from overseas trading. His pants were a very loose black material that he couldn't identify. A wonder Tsunade didn't asked too many questions.

The casino owner felt someone behind him, breathing over his neck.

"Good job Genma, I knew I came to right scum to pull off this little drama play."

The casino owner swallowed his nervousness. "Danzo, I hope you have my money ready."

End Chapter

Note: Genma was not acutally THE Genma. He is merely a reincarnated version that of Genma Saotome. He possess none of the skills of the original but does inherity some of his Ahum...interesting traits. No doubt, had Ranma actually died he might have been reincarnated as this Genma's son as well. The current Genma has no connection to Ranma, whatever connection they might have had ended in his previous life.Also, it should be obvious by now that the fortune-telling bowl is anything but honest


	4. Chapter 3

Relic

By Oberon

Chapter 3: The Adventure begins

Disclaimer: Don't own Ranma or Naruto. All characters used without permission.

- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - -

Genma swallowed his nervousness when he felt the shadow loomed over him, breathing down his neck. "Danzo, I hope you have my money."

"How's the boy?" A tired voice behind Genma belted the words in a monologue. The man sounded like a lifetime of frustration, always fighting for something but in the end accepted the reality of failure.

"Sleeping," Genma looked Danzo in his one good eye. "There's nothing wrong with the boy, if that's what you're asking. Tsunade thinks he'll wake up in a few days."

Danzo said nothing, he's face remained sunken and passive.

Genma's nervousness returned as beads of sweat rolled down his balding man's head. "Look, I did my part. Now how about doing your part and take the boy off my hands?" _But pay me first,_ he silently added.

Danzo was about to give Genma his due when the one eye-ed ninja sensed the presence of strong chakra nearby. "You have betrayed me, Genma."

"Wha-what do you mean?" Before, Genma was just nervous, now he panicked. "I didn't tell anyone about this, I swear on my wife and children's lives I didn't!"

Danzo glared down at Genma as the fat man cowered. "You don't have any children, Genma…" Danzo rubbed the cross shaped scar under his chin. "…But I believe you. You're too lazy to try something like this."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!"

Danzo shoved the fat man back. "I'll try to lead them away. Get the boy out of here then bring him to the woods later tonight. I'll have your payment then."

Danzo disappeared in a puff of ninja smoke leaving Genma with the sleeping boy. Genma didn't waste time and threw the unconscious boy over his shoulder.

"Let's go kid. Now don't get any ideas, just you'll know, I'm only doing this for the money."

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

When Danzo saw the two men that entered Genma's casino, he knew he couldn't take them. The man tried to hide his face under a sugegasa and a black high collar robe with red cloud design but the malice he extruded was obvious to Danzo. "Uchiha Itachi…" Itachi was the man that single-handedly massacred the strongest clan in Konoha, his own.

With that, Danzo disappeared into the crowd of gamblers by the Pachinko machines and watched silently as Itachi and the man with him. The two casually strolled by Genma's guard without a word, as if the guards didn't notice the pair. Danzo did not recognize the large man with Itachi but he carried with him a large bundle wrapped in cloth behind his back. The powerful chakra Danzo felt earlier came from the man next to Itachi. Danzo had trained Itachi back when the Uchiha became a Konoha ANBU so he knew Itachi's power, but this man next to Itachi was just ridiculously powerful.

"Sorry Genma, you're on your own," then Danzo counted his luck that these two did not spot him. He wouldn't even be able to slow the two if he tried.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Itachi knocked softly on the door of Genma's office and waited. And waited some more, then the Uchiha knocked again. No answer, not even a whimper from inside, something the Uchiha missing-nin had grown used to. With a vicious kick, the Uchiha broke Genma's door clean from its hinges.

"It seems someone warned him we were coming, interesting…," Sharingan eyes swept across every detail in Genma's office, missing nothing.

Kisame, Itachi's companion followed him. "Itachi, do you think it was the man in the Casino?" Kisame, the Monster of the Kiri, grinned and bared his shark-like teeth. "I think I'll go teach the geezer a lesson in minding his own business."

Itachi stopped the giant with a hand on Kisame's chest. "Wait," Itachi walked toward a bookshelf by the wall. The miniature library seemed out of place in this dainty office with no windows, especially with all the empty sake bottles around. "There is a hidden door behind that shelf." Itachi pulled at one end of the bookshelf and found a resistance, almost like uncorking a bottle.

With a little more effort than Itachi expected, the shelf popped opened. Itachi's eyes went wide as a gush of air came from hidden doorway. Then everything suddenly explored. The Uchiha only had a moment to react after he realized the shelf was a pressure-sealed trapped door. When he opened it, the vacuum sucked in air, which mixed with a white powder trapped in a hidden compartment behind the shelf. Once the powder touched the air it ignited in Itachi's face, leaving the Uchiha with less than a second to throws his hands over his face to cover his precious eyes.

Just as Itachi's vision went white from the infernal so close to his face, he felt himself tackled from behind. Itachi lashed out with a scream and a kunai only to have a firm hand held his wrist.

"Hold it Itachi, it's me." Kisame's voice broke through Itachi's berserker haze but all the Uchiha saw with his precious Sharingan was a complete white landscape.

"My eyes…" the trap had fooled the Sharingan with its pure simplicity. With no exposed mechanical parts, there was simply nothing for the Sharingan to see.

"They're fine,"

Itachi felt them with his empty hand and indeed found his eyeballs under his touch. Itachi frowned, then fumbling for his sugegasa, finding it within arm's reach then slapping it back on his head. Itachi stood up, his eyes still stinging, his vision still blurry. "Let's go," he said dangerously.

The giant tried to hold Itachi back. "Itachi, maybe I should take point."

The Uchiha only glared with his blind eyes at the shark-man. He could tell where Kisame stood by the sound of the sharkman's voice.

Kisame shrugged. "Whatever, you can go first."

- - - - - - - - --

Genma ducked into an alley several blocks from his casino. The boy slept on his back, obvious to the dangers around him. Genma adjusted his hold on the boy then wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve. Breathing heavily, the fat man laid the boy behind a trash can while he took a breather. Genma slumped on the building wall, his ass slid down the side until it met the grimy surface of the paved street.

Genma watched the kid sleep without a care. "Well, you better be grateful for this," he threw the boy over his shoulders again. "This is more work than I did for my wife in last three years." Silently, Genma hoped Danzo wasn't playing him for a fool.

The fat casino owner carried his charge for several blocks before he suddenly bumped into someone - someone impossibly large and appeared from out of nowhere. "Oh, sorry, didn't see you there." Genma adjusted his glasses and tried to walk around the tell fellow in the black robe.

The giant grinned, showing off his fangs and scaring the shit out of Genma. "Oh, you'll be sorry all right. My partner doesn't like people messing with his eyes." Kisame lashed out with a lazy kick to Genma's fat belly, he didn't put much effort into it but the force was enough to send the fat man flying. Genma's charge slipped from his gasp onto the concrete street.

Itachi approached the man gasping for breath. His eyesight still has not returned fully, everything still appeared as shadows in a bright room but he could tell the larger shadow was Kisame.

The fat casino owner knew he was in deep shit when he saw the look on Itachi. Immediately he went to the crunching tiger position with both hands on the ground. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

Itachi held a kunai menacingly over Genma.

- - - - - -- - - -- -- -

The sudden jolt from the fall had shocked his mind to acknowledge sensations for the first time in untold eons. Slowly, he's sleep-dulled consciousness focused on the hazy fog around him as thoughts slowly registered the sounds around him.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry…"

The fog clouding his vision cleared only to give way to confusion and fatigue. "What…" the teenager mumbled at the sight of a fat balding man crouching on all fours.

He heard the man in the black robes speak with a much taller man, a giant wearing the same red cloud patterned robes as the first. "Kisame, our target is awake. Deal with him."

Kisame, which the newly awoken teenager assumed to be the giant, reached behind him and with only one hand, he lifted the great bundle of cloth strapped to the giant's back. The cloth unraveled itself, thanks to a mysterious wind, into a great halberd almost as long as the giant was tall. The giant plunged the halberd into the street with an explosion on concrete and rubble. His shark eyes met the boys and he smirked as the boy shivered at his monstrously shark-like appearance and rounded fish eyes. "Ranma Saotome, stay where you are. We'll get to you in a minute."

"_Ranma Saotome… is that my name?_" The boy had no answers and knew only uncertainty. "_That sounds about right but I can't remember anything else._" Ranma's eyes settled on Genma begging the first man to spare his life. When he looked at him, Ranma felt he was familiar somehow but can't remember the fat man's name.

Itachi had a kunai inches away from Genma's eyes.

"Get away from him!" Ranma couldn't let this go on any longer. When he saw Itachi threatening Genma, it was as if something had pulled on his heartstring. The teenager forced himself to stand, wobbly and with great effort. His body for some reason responded and surged with power. Suddenly, the tiredness went away. Ranma faced off against the two men, he didn't know who they were or what they wanted, only that they tried to intimidate him. The man that threatened Genma had a deadly aura while Kisame, the giant felt like a monster of a powerhouse. "_If I'm gonna to have any chance ta stop 'em, I'll have ta do it in one move and put everything inta that single blow_," Ranma knew they were powerful, stronger than he was right now. For some reason, he wasn't scared.

Itachi did not listen to Ranma's warning.

Everything moved in almost slow motion. Itachi thrust his kunai toward Genma's eye. Ranma screamed out for him to stop. The martial artist cried for his body to move, to breach the distance between himself and the man trying to kill Genma. Then the world around the martial artists blurred as his body moved by its own according, faster than Ranma thought was possible. Still, it wasn't enough. "_Too slow. Must move faster!_" Then everything went white.

When Ranma could see again, he was in the air with one leg extended. His foot had connected with Itachi's chest and they were both in motion. Ranma skit to a stop but Itachi kept going, the force of Ranma's flying kick send the missing-nin flying into his partner then both crashed through a solid brick wall behind them.

"Ha! Suck on that!" Ranma's gloating came to an abrupt stop when the rubble over the two men shuffled. "Oh, shit… got'ta go!"

Immediately, Ranma hooked one arm around Genma and took off into the opposite direction, leaving behind a trail of dust in their wake.

Genma barely had time to blink and register the kunai in his face was gone before he was dragging like a piece of cloth in the wind.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kisame shuffled the pieces of the broken wall on top of him. Slowly the rubble shifted then giant erupted from the pile of debris with an angry roar but their target had disappeared.

"What the hell happened?!" Something slimy dripped into Kisame's mouth while he yelled. "PEW! Raw eggs! I hate raw eggs!"

Kisame found his partner unconscious buried under pile of pokisticks, his legs sticking out from underneath the pile. They had crashed through a grocery store, and Kisame himself had a face full of egg yoke. He took a step toward Itachi and slipped on a pool of spilled milk.

- - - - -- - - - - -- - -

"Slow down!" Genma's scream reverberated down the forest trail with a Doppler effect while a squirrel by the roadside gave the two a confused look.

Ranma did not listen and tried to get as far away from the missing-nin as possible. The pair ran deeper into the forest undergrowth where Genma finally hit the ground when an exhausted Ranma stopped for a breather.

"Thanks boy, thought I as a goner for sure." Genma had seen the tip of Itachi's kunai inches from his eye before Ranma kicked him away. Genma still didn't know what happened but he was grateful to be alive. "I didn't know anyone could move that fast."

Ranma finally caught his breath but he still leaned against the trunk of a large tree for support. "Yeah, that makes both of us."

"What's wrong kid?" Genma studied the boy and only saw confusion on martial artist's face.

"I can't remember…"

"Amnesia, that's tough. So what do I call you?"

"Ranma, that's what those two called me. I guess that's my name." Ranma didn't sound too sure but Kisame and Itachi came because of him so they must know him somehow.

Genma suddenly felt the wheels in his head turn for the first time in many years. "Ranma it is then, my name is Genma. I owned the casino those two trashed trying to get to you." This kid was obviously worth more than Danzo was paying him. "I probably can't go back now since they're likely waiting for me."

Ranma frowned, for some reason he didn't believe a word Genma just said. "Sorry about this."

"It's ok boy… I'm just upset about my…" Genma let loose with the waterworks. "…My poor wife, she must be so worried without me." Genma wiped the tears from his cheeks but they keep on coming. He wrapped his arms around Ranma in a fierce hug. "Don't worry about me, this is my fault. I shouldn't have tried to safe you from those monsters! Sweet Nodoka, we'll see each other again!"

Ranma fidgeted nervously in Genma's grasp. The only thing he could do was to pat the fat man on the back in a vain attempt to calm Genma down. "Eh… if there's anything I can do…"

Genma beamed. "So you'll protect me?"

"Yeah, well, where else I'm going to go?" Ranma shrugged.

"Hay, listen, I got a cousin who runs this outfit in the Land of Waveswho'll put us up for a little while. And I hear he's always looking to hire people with your abilities."

"Land of Waves, hmmm…." Ranma ran the name through his memory but drew a blank. "…Never heard of it."

So the two found themselves wondering toward the coast and while Ranma remained suspicious of everything Genma told him, the situation seemed entirely too familiar to the pigtailed martial artist. Meanwhile Genma wondered how much the boy would go for to the right buyers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Itachi's vision finally cleared but he immediately notice he no longer saw the world through the Sharingan, the enhanced vision that allowed him to see much more than the ordinary eye. Something else was wrong with his body, his chakra felt weak almost like depleted to the point of exhaustion. Was he in a battle?

"Hold it Itachi; you're still weak from whatever the boy did to you." Kisame sat across from his partner separated by an open fire. Kisame had brought them to the forest after their run in with the boy.

"Kisame, my chakra…"

The giant patted his great halberd, which now leaned next to the giant on the trunk of a great tree. "Samehada had to absorb most of your chakra to keep you from freezing into a popsicle. Whatever the kid did, he turned your chakra against you."

"Ranma Saotome…"

Kisame felt his partner released a burst of killing intent stronger than anything he felt from Itachi before. "No Itachi, the Leader wants the boy alive."

Itachi glared at his partner. "He can have him… after I'm gone."

End Chapter

Next up, adventure on the high seas!

And before people start bitching about Itachi being beaten by Ranma, remember that Itachi was still blinded by Genma's trap.

Danzo – he is the leader of Ne (root) a secret training camp for Konoha ANBU. It was implied in canon that Ne has been in business for some time so it isn't really a surprise leap to think that Danzo might have trained Itachi.

Sharingan – the bloodline of the Uchiha clan. Allows the people with Sharingan eyes to see many things but obviously can't see through walls.

Samehada – Kisame's halberd/sword. A giant blade made from uncountable razor sharp scales that "shaves" the victim rather than cuts. The special ability is that this sword allows Kisame to absorb the chakra of his opponent.


End file.
